California Earthquake Videos Show Destruction After 6.4 Magnitude Tremor

By

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

Writers Page
US News Reporter
Trust Project Icon Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

Videos shared on social media show the devastation to a woman's home as a result of the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that hit parts of Northern California early Tuesday.

Author Caroline Titus tweeted a video depicting how the quake toppled furniture in her home in the city of Ferndale in Humboldt County, smashing dishes and glasses.

"That was a big one," she wrote about the earthquake. "Power is now out in #ferndaleca. House is a mess."

A second video shared by Titus shows a kitchen shelf that had crashed to the floor during the earthquake.

"Our home is a 140-year-old Victorian. The north/south shaking is very evident in what fell. This was our coffee station. Sorry for dark video. Power still out," Titus wrote.

Many in Ferndale and the surrounding area likely received an alert ahead of the earthquake from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) ShakeAlert system, which sends residents an early warning when a shaking event is imminent.

"Did you feel the magnitude 6.4 quake about 7.5 miles southwest of Ferndale at 2:34 am? The #ShakeAlert system was activated," the USGS wrote on Twitter. It said that the quake was large enough to trigger the delivery of alerts to residents' cellphones.

Ferndale, California
The downtown area of Ferndale, California, is pictured. A 6.4 magnitude earthquake near the city struck at about 2:34 a.m. Tuesday. Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images

Following the earthquake, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office tweeted that no tsunami was expected to follow the tremor. It asked people not to call 911 except in cases of immediate emergency.

The earthquake caused "widespread damages to roads and homes" throughout Humboldt County, according to a tweet from the sheriff's office. "Be prepared for aftershocks. Check gas and water lines for damages or leaks. Exercise caution if traveling."

KAEF TV reporter Austin Castro shared evidence of the damage caused by the earthquake to the main road to Ferndale, which he said remains closed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as crews inspect for additional damage."

Caltrans confirmed the closure of state Route 211 at Fernbridge while crews assess the damage caused by the quake and conduct safety inspections on a bridge.

KRCR-TV said some gas leaks were reported in Humboldt County following the quake, one of which led to a structure fire on Pacific Avenue in Rio Dell, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Cal Fire also reported an incident where a home water heater burst and flooded a residential structure, KRCR said.

Update 12/20/2022, 9:30 a.m. ET: This story was updated with new background and information.

Request Reprint & Licensing Submit Correction View Editorial & AI Guidelines

Top stories

About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

Writers Page

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more